Failed Art -The Original-

My motivation to start this project is rather complex and has a long history. However the project's ultimate purpose is very simple

Motivate Artists & Foster Talent

At the beginning, there was a crafty little girl….

I have always been a crafty girl. Already as a kid, I had a little suitcase with a bunch of pearls, beads, strings, clay, buckles, clasps, etc to make jewelry. I was weaving, sewing, knotting, knitting, stitching, learned to paint on silk,… you get the picture. But I honestly was never so good at it, that I would have called myself an artist.

Adulting is hard….

Forward several years. I graduated from the University, had a job, was married and had moved to live in the US. I had not done anything art or craft related in years. Most days I was stressed, overworked and just miserable. After years of spending all my time living, thinking and breathing Science without any mechanism in place to decompress, I was burned out.

The start of a long journey….

My little crafting suitcase. It traveled with me on vacation and overnight trips and still lives at our home.

That was the time when I got back to crafting. I took my first class in silversmithing and learned how to cut, solder and file silver and make bangles and rings. I was hooked. I started exploring different techniques and styles. I experimented with silver clay, beads and wire, casting with resin, even tried my luck with paper quilling. But after the first rush of the experiment was gone, I noticed that I was often frustrated and unhappy with the results. I needed more practice to make it perfect. Nothing was ever perfect enough.

October 8th 2016, the day that set the wheels in motion…..

My friend Josie and I were hanging over a fall wreath, trying to put the flowers together in a way that looked just perfect. We received a call. Five of our friends where in a car that had been swept away by the floods during Hurricane Matthew near Raleigh, NC. The car had been pulled under water. Only four people were able to get to safety. Our dear friend Brad died that night in the floods.

The following days were somewhat surreal. There was sadness, because we lost Brad. But there was also gratefulness because four of our friends were alive and safe. I did not know Brad long enough to say that we were close. Brad was a very private person, reserved and quiet. But he was also incredibly kind and an intricate part of an amazing group of friends. He was there to listen when someone needed to talk and cracked a joke if someone needed a laugh.

I was heartbroken for his closest friends and family. I wanted to do something, let everyone know that I shared the pain. So I decided that I was going to use Art to express myself and make something in remembrance for the memorial service.

Failed-Art, the original….

As usual, I had a vision of my art project in mind. I had a clear vision of how this picture was going to look. I got supplies and went to work. I worked hours, every day for 3 days and it just didn’t turn out right. I became once again frustrated, depressed, demotivated over a project that was suppose to be fun and enjoyable.

That was the moment when I looked at my “work” and thought: “it looks kind of cool. Not what I was going for but this looks artsy.”I sealed my picture and declared it Failed Art.

Check back occasionally at the Failed Art Gallery blog. I will continue to share stories and thoughts from my journey.